Pseudo steam puffing apparatus for toy trains



o. BASTIANSEN May 4, 1943.

PSEUDO STEAM rumzm APPARATUS FOR TOY TRAINS Filed Nov. 25 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR wafimm L ATTORNEY 4 May 4, 1943.

-o. BASTIANSEN PSEUDO STEAM PUFFING APPARATUS FOR TOY TRAINS 1 Filed Nov. 23, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g 6 L ea" zsr INVENTOR 50 @1103W, av 5/ ATTORNEY Patented May 4-, 1943 PSEUDO STEAM PUFFING APPARATUS FOR TOY TRAINS Otto Bastiansen, Woodhaven, N. Y., assignor to lihe A. C. Gilbert Company, Conn, a corporation of Maryland New Haven,

Application November 23, 1940, Serial No. 366,892

27 Claims.

This invention relates to the operation of electrically powered toy trains or model trains which are hauled by a toy or model locomotive fashioned in imitation of a real steam locomotive and to ways and means for producing in connection with such operation sounds which with unusual realism simulate the pufiing of locomotive cylinder exhaust steam, thereby to imitate with spectacular effectiveness the sound as Well as the appearance produced by the performance of a real train hauled by a steam locomotive.

The frequency of successive puffs emitted by a traveling locomotive is ordinarily proportional to its speed, but in the usual manner in which a real steam locomotive and its train is started from a standstill and accelerated there are successive bursts of speed of the large drive wheels which thereupon slip in relation to the tracks on which they rest when the engineer intermittently opens wide the throttle. The train itself, however, only gradually accelerates. These bursts of speed of the drive wheels are accompanied by pufiing noises of suddenly increased loudness and rapidity as the steam is exhausted from the cylinders in forceful pufis under high pressure. It is also commonly observed that the sibilance of the sounds produced by the cylinder discharged steam is quite different when the steam is exhausted leisurely or under low pressure, as when a locomotive is pulling a train load at slow even speed on level track, than when the steam is exhausted rapidly or under high pressure as when a locomotive is accelerating or hauling its train at high speed or up a steep incline. In general the fricative sounds produced under conditions of slow speed and light load are soft and throaty while the sounds which result from high speed or high steam pressure have a distinct hissing quality. These well known and difiering characteristics of exhaust steam sound, or pufiing, are

commonly associated with differing speeds of travel and differing load conditions of a real steam locomotive in the minds of all who have even casually observed steam trains in action, including children whose minds are particularly appealed to by unusual realism in their playthings and toys.

It is an important object of this invention to place in the hands of the operator of a toy electric railway system means to produce and to vary under remote electrical control the various and differing sound effects and characteristics mentioned above, and in such timed relation to the moving performance of the locomotive and its train that the differing sounds so produced can be coordinated invery realistic manner with the train performance whether the train is traveling at low speed, or is accelerating, or is traveling at high speed, or is decelerating, or is standing still. It is a further object of the invention to be able when the train is at astandstill to cause a slow leisurely panting noise to issue from the train preferably at or near the locomotive, which noise shall be closely imitative of the familiar intermittent sounds produced by running of the air pump while a train is standing in a depot.

Another object is to provide in a toy electric train means for producing-intermittent pufiing sounds whose frequency may be varied in relation to the number of revolutions per minute of the driving wheels of the locomotive and be caused when desired to be greater in frequency than said' number of revolutions per minute, thereby to produce the auditory illusion of the familiar bursts of speed of the locomotive drive wheels.

' Another object is so to construct such sound producing means that they may be contained and entirely concealed within the confining shell of typical toy railway rolling stock preferably a toy car fashioned in external appearance to simulate a, coal carrying'tender for the locomotive and so tha'troom is not required to be found or provided within the toy locomotive for the sound producer because of the proximity thereto of its tender which according to this invention may contain the sound producer. i

A further object is to construct and relate sound producing-parts having the above capabilities in the necessarily small size to permit their incorporation in toy rolling stock and so that the sounds produced mayhave a considerable intensity and penetrating quality thereby to avoid any impression of being mufiied by the enclosing walls of the tender and to be capable of rising above the metallic traction noises made by the wheels and trucks of the toy train as the latter travels on its track.

Specifically it is an objector these improvements to provide a toy electric train with sound producing means which are so operative that the sibilance of the sounds will difier with the frequency of the sounds, varying from relatively soft, throaty pulling sounds to relatively sharp fricative sounds of a more hissing nature, the former occurring at low frequency and the latter occurring'at high frequency.

A related object is to lodge the control of what kind of sound shall be produced as well as the speed of the train in the same manually operable variable toy transformer or rheostat by Which' the current supply to the track is usually governed and modulated from the usual minimum of 7 volts to the usual maximum of 15 volts. Hence by manipulating the single control handle of such toy transformer or rheostat, the operator can selectively control the speed and performance of the train and simultaneously vary the frequency and sibilant characteristics of the fricative sound producer. It is preferred to accomplish this without in any way interfering with the usual capability of reversing the direction of travel of the locomotive as is usually accomplished through the automatic operation of a magnetically actuated or relay switch included within the electrical equipment of the toy locomotive, so that the differing kinds of sounds herein contemplated may be produced and varied equally well whether the locomotive is moving forward or backward.

It is a still further object of the invention to produce the hereinbefore described sound eifects without in any way drawing upon or increasing the mechanical load presented .to the electric motor which drives the locomotive.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will appear more clearly from the following description of a-preferred embodiment of the improvements in which reference is had to the appended drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspectiveview of a toy locomotive which may be employed in the electrical system i of Fig. 6. I

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the sound producing apparatus contained within the tender taken partly in section on the planes 55 5 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a View taken in section on the plane 6-5 in Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows and is drawn on an enlarged scale.

Fig. '7 is a perspective View of, the; sounding partition detachedfrom the sound apparatus and drawn on the same scale as Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a corresponding perspective view of an auxiliary sounding plate detached from the main sounding partition of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a still further enlarged view of the portion of the partition containing the sounding aperture taken in section on the plane 2-2 in Fig. 6 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig.'l0 is a diagram of the electrical apparatus and circuit connections.

Fig. 11 is a side view of the electromagnetic reversing switch.

In the drawings, Ill, H and I2 represent respectively an electrically driven toy or model locomotive, the usual imitative tender therefor and an end portion of the leading car of a train coupled thereto to, be hauled thereby along a track which includes outer or tractional rails I3 and I l and therebetween insulated from the sleepers I5 the usualpower or thirdf rail I6.

Locomotive III may be of any of the toy or model types preferably constructed to duplicate in. miniature. the moving. aswell, asthe fixed parts of a real steam locomotive. Such parts appear as the cylinders I9, drive Wheels 20, and pitman links 2i connecting the drive wheels with the rods 2d of the pistons assumed to be reciprocating respectively in cylinders I9. Wheels 20 and/or other wheels of the toy locomotive or toy train of which tender I I is a part may be termed traction wheels. Locomotive III contains and is impelled by an electric tractional motor 22 and it may also contain a magnetically actuated step-by-step current reversing switch indicated as a whole by 23 whose function it is in conventional practice to reverse the polarity of the electrical connections to the motor terminals so that traction motor 22 will run in one direction, say when the track rails I I5 and I3 or I4 are first electrically energized through some remote point of electrical control, and will run in the reverse direction, or backward, when the same track rails are subsequently energized all as is common practice in toy or model locomotives electrically impelled. An example of an improved locomotive so equipped is disclosed in a copending application Serial No. 364,818, filed November 8, 1940.

Working parts of reversing switch 23 are supported in skeleton frame work I28 detachably mounted on the locomotive interior and include the solenoid I30 of an electromagnet whose plunger I3I moves vertically and carries the double ended pawl pin I32 adapted to engage with and actuate a ratchet wheel I33 step-bystep respectively corresponding to each complete excursion of pawl I32 up and down. Ratchet wheel I33 is in fixed rotative relation to a current switching drum I34 whose surface is composed partly of insulative material and partly of conductive material and which rotates in Wiping engagement with two pairs of brush contacts I35 which as indicated in Fig. 10 are so connected in circuit that upon suitable occasion the direction of running of motor I! is reversed. Brush contacts I35 are mounted on insulative panels I36 which in turn are supported by frame I28. A manual lockout lever I31 is pivoted on frame I25 at 38 and swings between positions which respectively permit and prevent vertical movement of the solenoid plunger I3I.

In accordance with the present invention the ordinarily empty hollow space within the enclosing walls or body shell of locomotive tender It is made use of to contain a sound producing apparatus which is designed faithfully to simulate the differing sibilance of the pufling or intermittent exhaust of steam in real trains which accompanies differing frequencies of such pufiing whether or not corresponding to differing speeds of train travel. The structure of the improved sound producing apparatus includes a horizontal hollow cylinder 26 one end of which is completely closed by a cap 2! and the other end of which is open and receives in sliding engagement therewith a pneumatically tight composite pump plunger 28 made up of a rigid disc 29 of somewhat smaller diameter than the inside of the cylinder 26 to which disc is secured. a cupped washer 3B of very flexible material; such as oil-soaked leather, whose flexible peripheral flange fills and slidably engages with the interior surface of the cylinder 26 in a manner fully to partition the latter even when disc 29 occupies positions of oblique inclination tothe axis of the cylinder as indicated in Fig. 2. Flexible washer 30 is backed up by a stiff plate SI. Plunger 23 is pulled and pushed back and forth lengthwise. of the cylinder by a pitman. bar 33 Whose bent over end 34 has threaded engagement with screw and is clamped fixedly against backing plate 3| by this screw which penetrates and holds together the disc 29, cup washer 36 and backing plate 3|. A look nut 36 prevents these parts from working loose.

To permit an electric sound accessory motor, indicated as a whole by 39, to be located at the end of cylinder 26 within the tender ll, pitman bar 33 is provided with an offset bend 48. At its end remote from plunger 28 pitman 33 is pivotally connected at 41 to the outer face of a gear 42 which is mounted for rotation on frame plate 41 at 48 and thus serves as a crank for reciprocating pitman 33. Gear 42 is constantly in mesh with a small pinion 43. Pinion 43 is fast on one end of the armature shaft 44 of motor 39 which shaft has bearings in the frame plates 45 and 4! of the motor. The motor is fixedly supported on the floor 46 of tender II by means of the upright frame plate 41 which may be secured to floor 46 by spot welding, or if preferred in detachable manner as by removable screws or the like.

Sound motor 39 is constantly in circuit with the power rail l6 and traction rails l3, l4 through lead wires 50 and 52, the former of which is grounded to the frame of the tender and is thus electrically in circuit with traction rails l3, l4 through the truck 53 and wheels 54 of the tender while lead wire 52 is soldered to a spring stud 55 fixedly carried in the insulated bracket 56 which spans the width of each wheel truck 53 and has its ends fixedly lodged in apertures in the side walls of the wheel truck. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the U-shaped current collector shoe 66 has upwardly extending ends whose side edges are notched at 6| to be guided and limited as to vertical movement by forked arms 62 formed on the insulated bracket 56 and occupying the notches 6| in the shoe. A coiled spring 63 is conductivelyanchored to the bottom end of stud 55 and extends to and presses downward against a central struck-up projection in shoe by means of which the bottom end of spring 63 is retained against lateral displacement. The flexible lead wire 52 from motor 39 is soldered to shoe 60.

The extreme right end of cylinder 26 in Fig. 2 is seen to be completely closed by a cupped sheet metal cap 21 or the like which may tightly fit a rabbeted end of the cylinder. Cylinder 26 may be regarded as made up of three end-to-end tubular sections such as pump section 25 forming a pump compartment in which plunger 28 reciprocates, section Hi-forming an air discharge compartment, and section 1 I forming the sound compartment or sound chamber. The pump and air discharge compartments are separated by a stationary partition 61 which may be cast integrally with the cylindrical walls or may take the form of a wall of sheet metal or other material thinner than shown in the drawing and peripherally fitting the interior of cylinder 26 so as to make a pneumatically tight joint. Partition 6'! contains a small central orifice 68 by which a stream of air may be generated and projected toward the right in Fig. 2 when plunger 26 moves in that direction. The air discharge compartment and sound compartment are separated by a stationary partition 69 which is preferably rigid throughout and may take the form of a dished cup of sheet metal or the like whose peripheral flange fits and forms an air tight joint with the interior surface of cylinder 26'.

Partition 69 is provided with an elongated aperture 12 which is both wider and longer than orifice 68, as most clearly shown in Figs. 6, '7

and 9, and whose ends are bordered by oppositely inclined lips 65and 66 of 'eyelid shape formed by warping, in respectively opposite direction from the plane of the partition, the otherwise flat sheet material of which partition 18 is composed. v I

Orifice 68 may be .076" in diameter, circular hole 16 may be in diameter and aperture 12 may be 3%" wide by long, where the diameter of the sound chamber is 1 and the spacing from partition 61 to partition 69 is fif';

these being suggestive dimensions which may be varied proportionally or in degree and which in no event limit the scope of the appended claims. Gear 42 may have64 teeth and pinion 43 may have 10 teeth whereupon if the gear turns to 1 20 R. P. M. the pinion would rotate six times as fast, these also being but illustrative specifi-- cations.

The use of the current collectorshoe 60 on each of the two truck ofthe'tender insures uninterrupted performance of the steam puifing sound even though one of these collector shoes might fail to be in contact with the current supply rail at some position in which the train comes to rest near a turn-out track switch or the like. 7

Whereas partition 69, having a lipped aperture as described, is adequate to produce sounds for some of the purposes of this invention, it has been found in practice that the realism of various sounds it is desired to produce can be enhanced by the addition of an auxiliary stationary baffle plate 15 containing a simplecentrally disposed circular hole 16 spaced from aperture 12 toward the ejection orifice 68.

to the axis of partition 69 and to cylinder 26 and preferably at about theangle shownin Fig. 2. For the purpose of so holding baiile plate 15in relation to partition 69, the mounting tabs" are provided having suitable differing axial length which may be secured to partition 69 by, soldering, welding or in a removable manner if preferred. A cut-out 13 in the wall of cylinder section 10 gives generous communication with ambient air which enables the jet of air from orifice 68 to play upon the hole 16 and aperture- 12 with desirably loud sound efiect.

" The operation of the apparatus hereinbefore described may best be explained by reference to the electrical system diagrammed in Fig. 10, in which the track rails, wheels of 'the tender, wheels and current collector shoe ll of the locomotive, motors carried respectively by the tender traction rail l3 and to the power or third rail l6, which lead wires connect to terminals of a variable voltage toy transformer or controller 80 in the case of alternating current, for which is substituted a rheostat in the case of direct current, whereby the voltage at which current is supplied to track rails I3, or l4, and I6 by controller 80 may be modulated to selective potential varying between 7 volts and 15 volts. Controller 86 receives its supply of current fromany ordinary household electrical outlet through the usual attachment cord 8| and plug 82,'or in the- It has further been- I found of advantage to-incline plate 15 in relation case of direct current, from any suitable bank of wet-or dry battery cells.

In operation itwill be observed that both the traction motor 22 in the locomotive and the sound apparatus motor 39 in the tender are simultaneously subject to the same impress of voltage under the control of the single manual control handle 83 by which controller 80 is operated. Handle 83 in one of its extreme positions also serves to cut off all current from the track. Therefore by manipulation of handle 83 the followi'n'gperformance of the apparatus can be effected.

The reversing motor 22 impels the locomotive forward when the motor brushes and field winding are electrically coupled in the circuit relationship occasioned by theposition of the current switching drum I34 in relation to its stationary brush contacts I35, denoted as position A in Fig. 10. When current is shut off from the track rails, as at the remote control and voltage modulating switch 80, the solenoid I30 becomes deenergized and plunger I3I with its pawl pin I32 drops from its high to low position, ready to engage with the next tooth on ratchet wheel I33.

Then upon subsequent reenergization of the track rails, solenoid I30 lifts plunger I3I whereupon pawl I32 advances ratchet wheel I33 another step together with current switching drum I34 so that the new relation of the latter to brush contacts I35 establishes a condition of circuits indicated by position Bin Fig. 10. In this condition one terminal of the motor field winding is dead ended whereby the motor is prevented from running. Upon subsequent deenergization and reenergization' of the track rails, plunger I3I respectively again drops and lifts, advancing current switching drum I34 another step to establish the condition of circuits represented by C in Fig. 10, whereby each of the motor brushes becomes connected to a different end of the m'otor'field winding'than formerly. This results in the motor running in reverse direction and causes the locomotive to travel backward. Upon subsequent deenergization and reenergization'of the track rails, condition D of the switch drum' I34 is brought about by the repeated dropping and lifting of the solenoid plunger so that now motor II' is again deprived of current.

The described cycle of forward running, stopping, reverse running and stopping is thus repeated in the sequence recited as current is alternately supplied to and cut off from the track byremote control I25. It will be understood that the hereinbefore described relationship of running of the sound motor 39 to the locomotive motor 22 is unaffected by whether the locomotive is being impelled backward or forward.

Assuming that a train hauled by locomotive I and its tender II is at a standstill on a certain course of track throughout which rails I3, I4 and I6 are completely or nearly continuous, controller handle 83 will be swung clockwise to energize power rail I6 which is completely deenergized in the position of this controller handle shown in Fig. 4. Current will thereupon be furnished simultaneously to the variable speed reversing motor 22 in the locomotive and to the variable speed sound producing apparatus motor 39 in the tender. Depending upon the degree to which handle 83 is swung clockwise in Fig. 4 a potential of from '7 to 15 volts will be impressed on both motors 22 and 39. Preferably the power of motor 22 in relation to the traction loadimposed'thereon will be such that the locomotive will pick up speed gradually so as to prevent abrupt jerking even-if controller handle 83 is suddenly shifted to furnish a full volts. But the power motor 39 is so related to the load imposed upon it by pump plunger 28 that motor 39 will instantly respond to a suddenly impressed potential of' 15 volts by accelerating almost instantly to high speed. Thus while the train is more slowly accelerating, the more rapid acceleration of motor 39 may be caused at any time desired by quickly swinging controller lever 83 clockwise and back again. The consequent rapid reciprocation of pump plunger 28 will produce loud and rapid pufiing sounds familiarly associated with the spinning around of locomotive drive wheels in slipping relation to the track when a real steam locomotive is slowly accelerating its train and a strong auditory illusion or ventriloquistic effect is created making it seem that the noise which actually is produced from within the tender is being produced by the neighboring toy locomotive and that the latter is performing in the manner described as does a real steam locomotive.

The effect of the relative size, shape, spacing and other relationship of orifice 68 and lipped aperture I2, with or without the bafiie hole I6, is to cause fricative sounds of low throaty nature to be produced by the stream of air intermittently projected: toward the right from orifice 68 when plunger 28 reciprocates slowly in the pump chamber, and to produce sharper more sibilant sounds when plunger 28 reciprocates rapidly. Since motors 22 and 39 both tend to run faster under high voltage and more slowly under low voltage,

the frequency of the puffs which is proportional to'the rapidity of reciprocation of plunger 28 is sometimes proportional to the speed at which the train is traveling, the less sibilant sounds occurring at lower speeds and the more sibilant sounds occurring at higher speeds. The relative power of each motor 22 and 39 to its load is further such that motor 39 may run slowly while motor 22 is completely stalled by the load of its train when a low voltage is impressed alike on both motors. This effectively imitates the familiar panting sound of the air pump when a locomotive is standing at a depot. Sound from the air discharge compartment in section If! finds a free outlet from cylinder 26 and the tender II through openings I3 and I4 formed respectively in the wall of cylinder 26 and the floor 46 of the tender.

As the foregoing description and accompanying drawings will be found suggestive of many modifications by which some of the objects of these improvements may be obtained, the intent of the following claims is to cover andapply to all substitutes and equivalents for the exact parts and arrangements herein set forth which fairly meet the terms of the claims.

I claim:

l; Pseudo steam puffing apparatus for an electrically driven toy locomotive fashioned in imitation of a real steam locomotive, embodying in combination with saidlocomotive and an electric tractionalfimotor carried thereby, hollow toy rolling stock coupled in a train and hauled by said locomotive, mechanically reciprocative apparatus substantially concealed within'said rolling stock adapted to produce intermittent puffing sounds imitative of the sounds produced by exhaust steam successively discharged from the power cylinder of a real locomotive, a variable speed electric motor in said rolling stock arranged to operate said apparatus, a course of toy railroad track, and means including said track for'delivering electric current simultaneously at selectively variable voltages to both of said motors, whereby during the travel of said locomotive and rolling stock at equal speed the frequency of said intermittent puifing sounds will be determined by the operation of said variable speed motor independently of said speed of locomotive travel.

2. Pseudo steam puffing apparatus for an electrically driven toy locomotive riding on traction wheels and fashioned in imitation of a real steam locomotive, embodying in combination with said toy locomotive and an electric tractional motor carried thereby, hollow toy rolling stock riding on wheels and coupled in a train hauled by said locomotive, and mechanically reciprocative sound producing apparatus substantially concealed within said rolling stock electrically equipped and connected to be operatively energized independently of the speed of said wheels of said locomotive and rolling stock thereby to produce intermittent pulling sounds imitative of the sounds produced by exhaust steam successively discharged from the power cylinder of a real locomotive out' of synchronism with traction wheel speed thereof.

3. Means for producing pseudo steam puffing sounds, embodying in combination with toy railway rolling stock including a toy locomotive having traction wheels, apparatus carried by said rolling stock for producing intermittent puifing sounds of even periodicity imitative of the sounds produced by exhaust steam successively discharged from the power cylinder of a real locomotive, including a reciprocative air pump constructed and arranged to perform pumping strokes with varying rapidity unproportioned to the speed of said traction wheels for generating sound causing streams of air in a manner to effect an even periodicity of said intermittent puffing sounds with variable frequency unproportional to the speed of travel of said rolling stock. Y

4. An electrical toy railway system including, in combination, an electrified track, an electrically driven locomotive fashioned in imitation of a real steam locomotive, electrically energized reciprocative sound producing mechanism adapted to be conveyed along said track in unison with said locomotive and automatically to emit intermittent pufiing sounds imitative of locomotive steam exhaust, and an electrical system containing said track said locomotive and said recipro'cative mechanism, in which system said locomotive and said mechanism are composed and related to perform respectively different rates of acceleration responsive to the same increase of electrical potential impressed upon said system. I 5." An electrical toy railway system including, in combination, an electrified track, an electrically driven locomotive fashioned in imitation of areal steam locomotive, electrically energized reciprocative sound producing mechanism adapted 1 0, be conveyed along said track in unison with .saidlocomotive andautomatically to emit pufiing sounds imitative of locomotive steam ex- 'haust, and an electrical system containing said locomotive and said reciprocative .mechanism electrically connected in shunt relationship, in which system said locomotive and said mechanism are further composed and related to perform respectively different rates of acceleration responsive to the same increase of electrical potential impressed upon said system.

6. In means for producing pseudo steam pufling sounds, the combination of, a course of electrified trackrails, toy railway rolling stock including a toy locomotive having wheels riding 'on some of said rails driven by a motor carried'by said rolling stock, and apparatus carried by said rolling stock adapted to produce intermittent pufiing sounds of even periodicity imitative of the sounds produced by exhaust steam successively discharged from the power cylinder of a real locomotive, said apparatus including an electrically energizable variable speed prime mover carried by said rolling stock, a mechanical reciprocator connected to be driven by said prime mover in a manner to perform sound occasioning even strokes with varying rapidity unproportioned to the speed of-said motor and traction wheels thereby to effect an even periodicity of said intermittent pufiing sounds with variable frequency unproportionalto the speed of travel of said rolling stock, and electric circuit connections arranged to lead current derived from said track rails to both said traction motor and said prime mover. I

'7. In means for producing pseudo steam puffin sounds, the combination defined in claim-6, in which the said prime mover is constructed and arranged to run in response to a smaller electrical potential than will said traction motor while the latter is subject to thedraft load of the said rolling stock whereby, the said pufling sounds can be produced while said rolling stock is standing still.

8. In means for producing pseudo steam pufii'ng sounds, the combination of, a course of electrified track, toy railway rolling stock including a toy locomotive having wheels riding on some ofsaid rails driven by a traction motor carried by said rolling stock, apparatus carried by said rolling stock adapted to produce intermittent puffing sounds of even periodicity imitative of the sounds produced by exhaust .steamsuccessively discharged from the power cylinder of a real locomotive, said apparatus including a variable speed rotary accessory motor carried by said rolling stock,- a mechanical reciprocator, crank and pitrnan mechanism connecting said reciprocator to said accessory motor so that the former isimpelled by the latter in a manner to perform even strokes of varying rapidity unproportioned to the speed of said traction motor and wheels, thereby to effect an even periodicity of .said intermittent puifing-sounds at variable frequency unproportional to the speed of travel of said rolling stock, and electric circuit connections arranged to lead current derived from said track rails to both said traction motor and said accessory motor. i V

9. In means for producing pseudo steam puffing sounds, the combination defined in claim 8,

in which the said accessory motor is constructed and arranged to run in response to a smaller electrical potential than will the said traction motor while the latter is subject to the draft load of the said rolling stock whereby the said puffing sounds can be produced while said rolling stock is standing still.

10. Pseudo steam pufiing apparatus for an electrically driven toy locomotive fashioned in imitation of a real steam locomotive, embodying in combination with said toy locomotive and an electric tractional motor carried thereby, .hollow toy rolling stock coupled to and hauled by said locomotive, mechanically reciprocative apparatus substantially concealed within said rolling stock, a variable speed electric motor in said rolling stock mechanically connected to operate said apparatus, a course of toy railroad track including an electrically energized rail extending substantially throughout said course of track, current collecting means for said tractional motor carried by said locomotive in constant contact with said rail, and current collecting means for said apparatus operating motor carried by said toy rolling stock in constant contact with said rail, whereby both of said motors are constantly supplied with electric current at simultaneously equal voltage, said reciprocativ apparatus being equipped to produce intermittent puffing sounds imitative of the sounds produced by exhaust steam successively discharged from the power cylinder of a real locomotive and said apparatus being op erated by said variable speed motor independently of the speed of the traction wheels of said 10- comotive and rolling stock thereby to produce said pufling sounds out of synchronism with the wheel speed of said locomotive and rolling stock.

11. Means to produce pseudo steam pufiing sounds with ventriloquistic effect embodying in combination with a toy locomotive, toy rolling stock coupled thereto to be hauled in proximity thereto, and mechanically reciprocative sound. producing apparatus contained and substantial- 1y concealed within and thereby camouflaged by' said rolling stock electrically equipped and connected to be operatively energized independently of the speed of the traction wheels of said locomotive and rolling stock thereby to produce intermittent pufiing sounds imitative of the sounds produced by exhaust steam successively discharged from the power cylinder of a real locomotive, whereby the auditory illusion is produced that said puffing sounds issue from said locomotive while the latter is traveling.

12. The combination of, a toy train including a toy locomotive, a variable speed electric tractional motor carried by said locomotive, a second variable speed electric motor carried by said train,

electrified toy track for said train, means to maintain both ofsaid motors in electrical connection with said track, pseudo steam puffing apparatus carried by said train and operated by said second variable, speed motor, and voltage regulating meansto vary simultaneously the potential impressed upon both of said motors, the power of said-second motor in relation to the load imposed thereupon by said apparatus being greater than the power of said tractional motor in relation to the load imposed thereupon by said locomotive, whereby a given increase of voltage impressed in common upon said two motors will result in more abrupt increase of speed of said second motor than of said tractional motor.

13. The combination defined in claim 12 in which the said tractional motor is constructed and electrically arranged to reverse its direction of running in response to predetermined changes of circuit connections thereby to cause the said train to travel backward or forward, together with electro magnetic circuit controlling means carried by said locomotive and automatically operative to effect said predetermined changes of circuit connections.

14. The combination defined in claim 12, in which the power of the said second motor in relation to the load imposed thereupon by the said pseudo steam pufling apparatus is suilicient- 1y greater than the power of the said tractional motor in relation to the load imposed thereupon by said locomotive to enable the latter load to stall said tractional motor while said second motor continues to run and operate said apparatus for producing sound while said locomotive remains at a standstill.

15. A sound producing toy tender for a toy locomotive, including in combination, spaced toy wheel trucks, hollow rolling stock incuding a car casing fashioned externally in imitation of a real locomotive tender and pivotally carried on said trucks in a manner to span the space therebetween, an elongated horizontally disposed struc ture including a sounding chamber adapted to produce puffing sounds disposed lengthwise within said casing at an end portion thereof supported by one of said trucks, an electric motor within said casing at the opposite end thereof supported by the other of said trucks, and air discharging apparatus interposed between said sounding chamber and motor including elements connected to be operated by said motor, whereby said tender is equipped to produce pseudo steam pufiing sounds in proximity to said locomotive and with ventriloquistic efiect by concealing and camouflaging the real source of said sound and thereby causing said puffing sounds to seem to issue from said locomotive.

16. In apparatus adapted to be incorporated within toy railway rolling stock for producing pneumatic noises imitative of locomotive pufling sounds, the combination of, a reciprocative pump adapted to generate intermittent streams of air, a sound chamber having an apertured enclosing wall, and means to direct toward the apertured region of said wall from the outside of said sound chamber successive streams of air generated by said pump, whereby some portions of said streams of air attempt to enter said sound chamber and other portions of said streams of air are defiected by said wall thereby to cause pufiing noises influenced as to sound by said sound chamber.

17. In apparatus adapted to be incorporated within toy railway rolling stock for producing pneumatic noises imitative of locomotive puffing sounds, the combination of, a reciprocative pump adapted to impart successive air motivating impulses to a partially confined body of air, an elongated sound chamber spaced from said pump having a substantially closed end, a wall partially closing the opposite end of said sound chamber containing a small sound generating aperture,

and air guiding structure terminating at an orifice facing toward and spaced from said aperture shaped and arranged to direct air derived from said confined body of air through said orifice toward said aperture.

18. In toy apparatus for imitating the puffin of steam escaping from a locomotive cylinder under respectively low and high pressures, the combination of, means to generate and intermittently project successive streams of air at differing velocities, and fixed means to produce fricative sounds from said streams of air varying in sibilance from that of soft gentle puffs to that of relatively sharp hisses in response to respectively low and high velocities of said stream 01' air including a rigid sound producing plate stationed in the path of said stream of air containing a lipped opening disposed to divide said stream of air and deflect a portion thereof.

19. In toy apparatus for imitating the puffing of steam escaping from a locomotive cylinder under respectively low and high pressures, the

combination of, means to generate and intermittently project successive streams of air at diflering velocities, and fixed means to produce fricative sounds from said streams of air varying in sibilance from that of soft gentle pufis to that of relatively sharp hisses in response to respectively low and high velocities of the said stream of air including a rigid baflie plate stationed at an incline to the direction of travel of said stream of air and containing a hole located in the path of said stream of air whereby an edge portion of said plate bordering on said hole intercepts and deflects a portion of said stream f air.

20. In toy apparatus for imitating the pufling of steam escaping from a locomotive cylinder under respectively low and high pressures, the combination of, means to generate and intermittently project repetitive streams of air at successively differing velocities, and fixed means to produce fricative sounds from said streams of air varying in silibance from that of soft gentle pufis to that of relatively sharp hisses in response to respectively low and high velocities of said streams of air including a rigid baflie plate stationed at an incline to the direction of travel of said streams of air and containing a hole located in the path of said streams of air whereby an edge portion of said plate bordering on said hole intercepts a portion of said streams of air, and a rigid stationary sound producing plate spaced away from said bafile plate on the opposite side of the latter from said streams of air containing a lipped aperture in the path of the remaining portion of said streams of air which passes through said hole.

21. In apparatus adapted to be incorporated within toy railroad rolling stock 'for producing pneumatic sounds imitative of locomotive pulling, the combination of, an elongated sound producing structure including end-to-end coaxial conjoined tubular sections defining a pump compartment at one end of said structure a sound compartment at the opposite end of said structure and an air discharge compartment interposed between said pump and sound compartments, a partition separating said pump and discharge compartments containing a central air discharge orifice, means to force a stream of air intermittently from said pump compartment through said orifice into said discharge compartment, and a second partition separating said discharge compartment from said sound compartment containing a central sound producing aperture in the path of said stream of air.

22. In apparatus as defined in claim 21, the combination defined in said claim in which the said sound producing aperture is elongated and is both wider and longer than th said orifice.

23. In apparatus as defined in claim 21, the combination defined in said claim together with an air intercepting lip bordering said aperture and extending away from the plane of the said second partition into the said path of the said stream of air discharged through the said orifice.

24. In apparatus as defined in claim 21, the combination defined in said claim in which the said sound producing aperture is elongated, together with an air deflecting lip bordering one end of said elongated aperture inclined away from the plane of the said second partition and projecting into said discharge compartment in the said path of the said stream of air.

25. In apparatus as defined in claim 21, the combination defined in said claim together with an air deflecting lip bordering on one side of the said aperture inclined away from the plane of the said second partition and projecting into said discharge compartment in the path of said stream of air, and a second air deflecting lip bordering on the opposite side of the said aperture inclined away from the plane of said second partition and projecting into the said sound compartment.

26. In apparatus as defined in claim 21, the combination defined in said claim in which the said sound producing aperture is elongated, together with two inclined lips bordering on said aperture and extending toward respectively opposite sides of the said second partition.

27. In apparatus as defined in claim 21, the combination defined in said claim in which the said sound producing aperture is elongated, together with an air deflecting lip bordering on one end of said elongated aperture inclined away from the plane of the said second partition and projecting into said second discharge compartment in the path of said stream of air, and a second air deflecting lip bordering on the opposite end of said elongated aperture inclined away from the plane of said second partition and projecting into said sound compartment.

OTTO BASTIANSEN. 

